Thulis said:

Not really. As I recall, it suggests that the spores take a long time (sometimes centuries) to grow, and it also intimates (or gave me the impression) that it required a fairly large number of Orkoids to produce a significant risk of them growing at all.

Still, I think it is designe as one of the drawbacks of the RT having an Ork on board. On ship (or other non-fertile location) the spores have a much more difficult time growing, and the frequent use of flamers to scour the living area is also suggested/recommended. On a planet, however, it is a bit more difficult. Personally, I think that keeping the Ork in his void suit, or other mostly-sealed suit of armor/clothing, should serve fairly effectively to minimize/negate the risk on-planet.

dvang said:

Can you tell more about the servitor crew option? Sounds perfect for AdMech NPC ships..

I'd imagine it takes a lot more than one Ork and its handful of pets visiting a place for several days to really get an infestation going to any degree that actually matters.

N0-1_H3r3 said:

While only the genestealers have stats, there are 12 "notable" npcs in Port Wander with backstories and motivations that the PCs would not normally know.

Kelnozz Soter said:

It's a very rare ship upgrade. They aren't as skilled in combat due to their total lack of imagination, but are more durable and morale really isn't a problem. There are rules for craftmanship and where you can replace lost crew.

I think you idea of using them wiht AdMechs is a good one. The book also mentions this is good for players who don't want to deal with leading 10s of thousands of crew members.

I think it would also make for a very spooky ship.

Do you have a list of the new birthright options? I can't seem to find them anywhere.

LordMunchkin said:

There are three new birthrights, each of which contains three further options - all the new origin path choices are like that; we went for more detail on a few options rather than a larger number of smaller options.

The new birthrights are:

• Fringe Survivor, which contains the options Heretek, Survivalist and Pit Fighter
• An Unnatural Origin, which contains the options Contaminated Environs, False-Man and Tainted by the Warp
• In Service to the Throne, which contains the options Born to Lead, One Amongst Billions and Tithed

Are there rules for how to upgrade the quality/skill level of your ship's crew?

Kroot Shaper seems to be the only "Kroot Specific" path (maybe I missed it, it's early) - while the ork gets Mek and Kommando.

Any extra info on what's available for a Kroot character? I'd assume it's as robust as the ork (which looks like it got tons of love) - but I've got a player chomping at the bit for the Kroot.

Medhia Nox said:

7 specific Kroot talents (Ancestral Blessing, Blood of the Stalker, Greed is Good, Hyperactive Nymune Organ, Kroot Leap, Mercenary, and Prophetic Dreams)
2 new Kroot weapons (Krootbow, Kroot Hunting Rifle)
3 new pieces of Kroot gear (Fetish Pouch, Kroot Leathers, Kroothawk Totem)

Psychopomp said:

Morale improvements only.

I was looking for these as well and I'm winging it. Our Master at Arms is pouring profit into training and equipping the troops in the barracks, so I'm slowly incrementing their skill levels. Every session I bump up 1 point in BS or WS for the "elite" forces that join the players planetside. Every three sessions I add one to the rest of the troops. When the troops go up 5 in both BS and WS, I'll add a Wound point.

At some point I'll have them hit a ceiling.

Deadline247 said:

Could I possibly get some more details on this? What changes does it make from a normal Rank 1 Navigator? I'm a Navigator in an RT game that just started and this concept seems to fit my character better so I might see if I can convince my GM to allow a switch.

Bleak said:

Well I don't have the book, but basically what you are is a speaker for the Great Houses, so you'll be getting a lot of Social talents and peers. It's like taking a Scum or Seneschal and only focusing on part of it. Which I take to mean you're a more sociable Navigator, to the likes of the Rich and Famous in Imperium Society of course. However you can't be from a renegade house. As I said, don't have the book but seen bits and pieces of it and know enough about 40k to make good conclusions. I'm sure those who do have the book will tell you more in full should you want the information.

Bleak said:

Since my contributor copy arrived this week (while I was away... Sod's Law really, but at least I have it now), I can actually accurately answer questions without fear that what I'm referring to has been removed before printing

I really liked the Navis Scion too! It basically adds in some more social skills (like Barter, Carouse, Charm, Commerce, etc), as well as gives you Peers, Good Reputation (choose one), and some more Scholastic Lores and Performer skills. They basically represent the diplomats and power brokers of the Navis Nobilite Houses, and often act as advisers to Rogue Traders.

You can't the rank if you are from a Renegade House though, as Scions are usually not openly mutated, which they require in their work as a diplomat (having tentacles and reptilian skin wouldn't pass very well in a Noble's Court, after all).

I really want this book.

MILLANDSON said:

Curse you... mine hasn't arrived yet...

Could anybody give me more info on the Alternate Career "The Acquisitionist" (Seneschal rank 3)
- Skills and talent, special abilities etc.

One of my pc's realy wants this career and we are very close (few hundred xp) away from rank 3.

Thanks in advance

N0-1_H3r3 said:

I could bring my copy of it to Games Day with me if yours hasn't shown up by then? I was thinking of perhaps bringing my copy of Deathwatch with me and running a short one-shot after GD was over, so bringing my copy of ItS wouldn't be a problem.

As for Acquisitionists, they get more underworld, black market skills, like Interrogation, Intimidate, Decadence, Disturbing Voice, Peer talents, stuff like that.

MILLANDSON said:

That's about a month away. If my copy hasn't shown up by Games Day, then there's something wrong...

dvang said:

Not as useful for Rogue Traders as I had hoped. I plan to use the concept mentioned in the RT core rulebook of having Imperial Guard regiments attached to the RT for awhile. They would be using Chimera AFVs and Leman Russ tanks! I will have to house rule those vehicles for the time being.

Tang86 said:

Not for your concept, perhaps, but what's useful for one Rogue Trader may be a superfluous waste of effort for another... there are simply too many vehicles in the Imperium alone to include rules for all of them, and that's just counting combat vehicles, so you get a small selection of vehicles of different types instead.

Tang86 said:

Remember though, it's not quite as easy to get hold of an actual Imperial Guard regiment as all that, there are quite a lot of hoops to jump through. Even then, not all Regiments have Leman Russ'.

Meanwhile, PDF regiments would be a lot easier to get hold of, but they don't get Leman Russ' (only the Imperial Guard are allowed heavy tanks, not PDF), so Leman Russ battle-tanks are probably a lot less common than you'd think (ie. generally less common amongst Rogue Traders than the vehicles that are given in the book).

Either way, the rules for vehicles are fairly easy, so it's not that hard to make more vehicles, and as N0-1 said, what might be "not as useful" for you will be incredibly useful (and a lot more useful than a battle tank) for someone else.

MILLANDSON said:

Don't get me wrong - I am definitely buying this book as soon as it hits my local store's bookshelf I see from the posts in this thread the huge value of Into the Storm. I'm a fan.

My PC's a missionary. I'd be interested to know a little more about what's cool about the Torchbearer and the Drusian Adherent.

The Boy Named Crow said:

Drusian Adherants believe that the Angevin Crusade that conquered the Calixis Sector was never meant to end, and that while there are still worlds not yet claimed by the Emperor's rule, mankind should not rest. The alternate rank adds a number of religious skills, Frenzy, Unshakeable Faith, and several opportunities to gain Hatred (Xenos). It's a little box of militant piety available from Rank 1 onwards to anyone but aliens, Astropaths Transcendent and Explorators.

Torchbearers bring the light of the Emperor to distant, savage worlds, living among them and learning to survive with little but that which their hands and their faith bring. Extremely good at surviving in the wilderness or amongst primitive societies, lots of skills for moving around difficult terrain, plus the usual oratory skills that often define Missionaries. It's available at Rank 2 for Missionaries only, and requires that they be tough and strong-willed.